The History of Public Transportation

1. The History of Public Transportation Instructor: Dr. Jill Hough Module 1 – Lesson 2

2. Learning Objectives • Articulate the relationship between the development of transit technology, the transit enterprise, and U.S. urban development. • Describe the positive and negative impacts of the dramatic change in urban travel method and pattern over the past 90 years

3. Overall Context • As the population moved from rural to urban areas, the public transportation allowed for larger urban areas to be efficiently connected.

4. Major Milestones in Transit • 1662, the omnibus in Paris • 1740 New York use of Ox carts • 1827 First horse drawn urban stagecoach (omnibus) 1829 London, 1831 NYC -12 passenger • 1830 First railroad – Baltimore • 1832 Street Railway (horse Car) 7 mph • 1871 First steam-powered elevated line • 1872 Great horse influenza killed thousands of horses

5. Major Milestones in Transit • 1873 First cable car – San Francisco • 1883 First public operated cable car – New York • 1888 First successful street railway transit agency – Richmond, VA • 1893 First interurban • 1895 First elevated rail line – Chicago • 1897 First electric underground – Boston

6. Major Milestones in Transit • 1904 – First State operated street railway – Bismarck, ND • 1905 – First public takeover of a private transportation company (Staten Island Ferry) • 1910 – Buses (Jitney) • 1932 – First publicly operated heavy rail line – New York • 1964 – Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964 • 1960s-1970s – Conversion from private ownership to pubic agency ownership • 1983 – Public transportation trust fund for capital projects created through dedication of one cent of federal gas tax • 1990 – Americans with Disabilities Act

7. History of the Transit Enterprise • Pre 1890s Individual entrepreneurs, small firms, single routes • Most Electric Railways were owned by Utility Companies • 1890s-WWII Mergers into one or few large private corps in each city • 1920s -- WW II Rapid introduction of auto decline of transit • WWII-1960s Declining profitability, abandonment of service in small towns • WW II -- 1960s Expansion of highway system - Interstate Era • 1960s– 1980 “Balanced”transportation concern for energy, air quality • 1990s - Present Congestion, air quality, ADA, energy

8. Transit and Urban Development • The industrial revolution led to a migration from rural to urban areas. • To absorb increasing populations, urban areas needed to spread out. • Improved public transportation allowed for larger urban areas to be efficiently connected.

9. Transit Ridership Trends • Transit Ridership grew steadily from the 1890s through the 1920s. • Ridership began to decline during the Great Depression due to increased unemployment, bankruptcy of transit systems and introduction of automobile.

10. Transit Ridership Trends (cont.) • Ridership reached all-time high during World War II (about 28 billion one-way passenger trips) due to gas rationing, full employment. • Ridership dropped to about 6 billion one-way passenger trips in mid 1960s before rising due to energy crises, new systems. • Ridership hit post WW II high in 2009 with 10.4 billion one-way passenger trips.

11. Relationship of Technology to Enterprise Form • Few economies of scale for horse car systems therefore small firms, individual routes feasible. • Electric streetcars required large investments in rolling stock, power generation and distribution so large enterprise desirable. • Monopoly or duopoly structure continues today.